British Croatian Business Club Winetasting Event
Lara Cory1st February 2018 Blog British Croatian Business Club,croatian business club,croatian business networking,croatian food,croatian wine Ms DavorkaŽanićDražić, MSc, Counsellor (Economic Affairs) wrote about a recent networking event on the website of the Croatian Ministry ofForeign and European Affairs.London, January 30th, 2018.London, January 30th, 2018.Presentation of Croatian wines at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in LondonPresentation of Croatian wines at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in London
Marking the Day of the Protector of Wine and Vinegar St Vincent of Saragossa, (22nd January) at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in London, apresentation of Croatian wines originating from Korcula, Slavonia and Zagorje, was organized by theBritish-Croatian Business Club(BCBC). Duringhis speech, Ambassador Igor Pokaz, pointed out the need to further assist the promotion of Croatian wines in the British market, and representatives ofthe BCBC highlighted the long tradition of viticulture in Croatia.
Most interesting and useful was the presentation of Croatian wines by Christopher Burr, a well-known British Master of Wine from the Institute ofMasters of Wine in London, who talked about the exhibited wine varieties such as pošip, plavac, plavac morkan, merlot, Korčulanka and rose fromwineriesBlato 1902in Korčula,Galićd.o.ofrom Eastern Slavonia and the family wineryJarec Kurefrom Zagorje. In particular, he praised the“plavac” wine, as the most delicious wine he’d ever tasted. Talking about the possibility of placing quality Croatian wines in an extremely competitiveBritish market, he pointed to several important elements.
Firstly, he drew attention to the fact that 86% of the UK wine market refers to wines whose price-per-bottle is less than six pounds. This includes 35%of the commission taken by the UK’s major retail chains and a high alcohol tax of £2.16 per bottle, which means that the UK wine producer ultimatelygets one euro per bottle, or less. Given that Croatia does not have such large wine-producing capacities that could be marketed at such low prices onthe British market, Burr proposed the establishment of business contacts with the ‘high-end’ market as a second, far more favorable variant forCroatian winemakers, i.e. restaurants, hotels and smaller specialized stores in the United Kingdom
Mr Burr believes that Croatian winemakers should continue investing in grapevine production and quality wine cellar equipment, which hasexperienced significant advances in recent years. He emphasized that they must start investing heavily in sales marketing, or finding adequatedistributors, who in the UK take 15-20% commission and focus on targeted markets to build long-term, global brand recognition. Along with the wine,guests were also presented with products of prosciutto Pršut Voštane d.o.o. and Dim-Mes d.o.o. virgin olive oils from Korcula andŠolta,Pag cheese Paška sirane d.o.o., as well as various other Croatian delicacies.
Among the guests were also representatives from The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The London Southside Chamber of Commerce,The British – Serbian Chamber of Commerce London, The British Expertize, The International Business and Diplomatic Exchange, The RotaryAmpthill & District, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Croatian Parliament’s Tourism Board, the HTZ Office inLondon, The Croatian World Congress for the UK and Ireland, the Croatian Catholic Mission in London.